Scared To Be Lonely

Chapter 8: Taken

 ✘ ✘ ✘

By 7 am, the kids had fallen asleep on the couch, Quincy still hugging Nick, as though he was worried she'd run away again if he let ago. Melissa had put a blanket over them, before moving over to the kitchen, which was connected to the living room, and looked at her husband, who was staring at his phone.

"I can't do it." Marcel whispered, shaking his head. "We just got her back."

"I know." Melissa nodded, wrapping her pajama robe tighter around her, and brushing a hand through her hair tiredly. "But we have to. It's gonna be so much worse for all of us if they come by and see that she's back and that we didn't tell them."

Marcel nodded and after a couple more minutes, he finally made the dreaded call.

It was an hour later when child services came by, along with two police escorts. 

Nick had been in the baby's room when they knocked on the door. She spent an hour holding the baby and apologizing to him, before she sang him to sleep for the last time. When the lullaby was finished, she put him back in the crib and pulled his little blanket over him, while she whispered. "Adiós, pequeño Benny." [Goodbye, little Benny.]

The girl went to head down the stairs, her steps getting slower when she heard arguing. And when she got to the bottom and looked, she saw that Marcel was arguing with three people. Two of which were officers. "What's going on?"

They all turned to her, Marcel holding out a hand. "Nick, go back upstairs."

"No, she's coming with us." The child services guy said, and Marcel glared at him. "No. I only agreed to have Brooks go near her. I only trust Brooks."

"Well, Brooks was unavailable." The man shook his head, and Nick glanced around, completely forgetting that Melissa had gone to work. But also seeing the time, Nick assumed that she'd be picking up Quincy from school now.

"She's not going anywhere with you." Marcel shook his head, holding out an arm to stop one of the officers from actually going into the house. 

"Sir, if you don't let us in, then this will be kidnapping, and we can use any force necessary."

Marcel didn't move, which caused the other one to forcefully shove him into the wall and pull his arms behind his back, handcuffing him. 

"Dad!" Nick yelled in worry and fear, going to run to him, but the other officer had already gone over and stopped her. But when she kicked him, he ended up having to pick up the girl and take her outside kicking and screaming as the child services led the two to the car while the other one began reading Marcel his rights, since he was going to be brought to the station on the charge of kidnapping.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" There was a voice and Melissa ran over to them, only for the child services man to hold her back as he told her the situation.

"Monkey!" Quincy's voice was suddenly heard, and when Nick saw him running towards them. The 10-year-old suddenly slammed her head back into the officer's face, making him drop her to her feet, where she then stomped on his foot before taking off running.

The officer, who's nose was now bleeding, was pissed.

"Bubba!" Nick ran over to Quincy, who pulled her into a tight and protective hug as tears stung her eyes again, and he could feel how fast her heart was beating. He knew how scared his baby sister was, which caused the two kids to hang onto each other tightly even when both officers were now to them.

"No! No, leave her alone!" Quincy was screaming as one of the officers pulled him back and tried to restrain him, while the other one was pulling Nick away. Both kids were screaming, Nick crying. And Melissa was arguing with the child services man, who wouldn't let her go. Marcel had already been taken and placed into the back of the police car, handcuffed and helpless.

"Miss, your husband is already been arrested. Do you really want this to be turned into a bigger legal issue?" He said, and Melissa looked at him. "Are you threatening me?"

He just stepped back, his arms up. "It's just a warning. You could lose your other kids, do you really want that?"

She didn't say anything at that, but when the kids screaming and fighting got her attention, she quickly went over to her 15-year-old son, shoving the officer away from him as she then pulled Quincy into her arms, holding him back as they both cried and Nick was being shoved into the other police car.

"No- where are they taking her?" Quincy yelled, less fighting against his mother, but still trying to wiggle free. And tears began streaming down his face even more when the first car drove off with Nick in the back, now handcuffed, but looking at them through the back window. "No!"

And then the second police car took off, taking Marcel to the station, where he was probably gonna get his badge taken away.

✘ ✘ ✘

The next two days, Nick was put into an orphanage while they figured out what they were gonna do with her. But then the next day, Genevieve Brooks had finally been able to come talk to the little girl. Brooks, with a grim expression, told her what would be happening. They were sending her back to Cuba, and there wasn't going to a second chance for her to come back to America in at least five years, as well as the Williams had a restraining order that would be placed as soon as she left the United States.

And the next day, Nick was brought to the airport, Brooks promising that she would be with her the entire time. But then the girl looked up right before heading through security after hearing her name. The girl immediately dropped her things and ran to the family that had showed up, because Brooks called them and said that this would be their last chance at goodbyes.

They all hugged one by one; Melissa promising that they were gonna try everything they could to get her back. Marcel hugged her the longest, heart breaking as he told her that this wasn't a goodbye. 

Then Quincy and Nick hugged, the two hugging tightly with their eyes squeezed closed and not wanting to let go. Even though they were young, he was still her big brother. He was supposed to protect her, but he couldn't protect her from this.

Nick then said goodbye to baby Benny, placing a kiss on top his head, before walking back to Brooks. But right before she went through security, the girl turned around. "I love you!"

They all said it back, before watching as she disappeared.

The trip back to Havana, Cuba was pretty long, but it went by quickly to Nick. 

She was then taken out of Brooks custody, the two also sharing a last goodbye, before Nick was brought to a Juvie for three weeks as her punishment for running away.

Then after the month, she was placed back in the Home she was in before, and learned immediately that she didn't have any friends there. 

(the song at beginning of chapter is the lullaby she sings for benny, which her mother used to sing for her)